Special poll plan sought for flood-hit areas of Sindh

CEC Raja says army, Rangers’ help will be sought during forthcoming elections

KARACHI:

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has directed the provincial election commission and the relevant Sindh government officials to chalk out a special plan for the voting process in the flood-affected areas of the province.

Chairing a high-level meeting on Tuesday at the Sindh Secretariat regarding the upcoming general elections, the CEC said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would seek the help of the army as well as the paramilitary Rangers to ensure fair and transparent elections.

“All resources should be utilised for peaceful and impartial conduct of the elections,” Raja said, according to a statement issued here. “Strict action will be taken against officials and staff, if found negligent in the election process.”

Hon’ble Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja presiding over the meeting regarding preparations of upcoming General Elections at Sindh Secretariat Karachi #ECP pic.twitter.com/FzW67CKGx9

— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) October 17, 2023

In Sindh, general elections would be held on 61 National Assembly seats, and 130 provincial assembly constituencies.

According to the latest data, nearly 26.8 million registered voters will exercise their right to vote in the province.

Sindh Election Commissioner Ejaz Anwar Chauhan told the meeting that 19,236 polling stations would be set up in the province of which 4,430 had been marked as highly sensitive and 8,080 sensitive.

Sindh Inspector General of Police Rifat Mukhtar informed the meeting about the security plan prepared by the Sindh police for election.

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He said that more than 110,000 police personnel would perform the election duty, adding that the Quick Response Force (QRF) would also be deployed.

Earlier, the ECP secretary gave a detailed briefing regarding the preparations for the general elections. The Sindh chief secretary assured the ECP of the provincial government’s full support in conducting smooth elections.

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He added that the province was implementing the ECP’s orders on the transfers and postings.

Raja told the participants of the meeting that the ECP would provide all possible assistance to the caretaker provincial government for the conduct of fair and transparent elections.

He warned that immediate action would be taken in case of any complaints of political favouritism of any kind.

The meeting was attended by ECP members Nisar Durrani from Sindh, Shah Muhammad Jatoi from Balochistan, Babar Hassan Bharwana from Punjab, Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as well as ECP Secretary Umar Hameed Khan and the Sindh election commissioner.

Besides, Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam Khan, IGP Mukhtar, secretaries of local government, information and finance departments as well as the Planning Board chairman and other senior officers also participated in the meeting.